Publicity Stunts - The Art of the Prank

December 12, 2025

Dance Power

Dancers protest Trump’s cultural appropriation.

“Protest Dance Outside Kennedy Center Targets Trump’s Attack on Culture,” by Emma Cieslik, Hyperallergic, November 24, 2025.

Dozens of workers have been terminated since the president took over the institution in February.

WASHINGTON, DC — On Saturday, November 22, protestors expanded and crunched their bodies, arms rising and falling with flicked wrists, as they marched in front of the Kennedy Center with stoic expressions. Passersby would be excused for mistaking it for an official performance, but the show outside the nation’s art center was actually a “dance protest” organized in response to President Trump’s rising authoritarianism.

While DC was buzzing with action across the city at the Remove the Regime march and fold-in event at the Lincoln Memorial, the Kennedy Center offered a powerful backdrop for resistance. Days before, the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works launched an investigation into cronyism and corruption at the Kennedy Center under the leadership of Richard Grenell, whom Trump appointed as the institution’s interim president in February. Read the whole article here.

November 12, 2025

The Bush is Trying to Make a Comeback

Comes with dental floss in matching colors.

“Follicular Follies,” by Flora Gill, AirMail, November 1, 2025.

The Bush Is Back, Baby! But there’s a catch. Welcome to the wild world of “merkins”.

Before women leave the house for a night out, there’s a routine we all follow. We check that our makeup isn’t smudged. We add a dash of perfume to the nape of our necks. And … we carefully comb out the faux pubes on our underwear. No? Is that last bit not part of your evening checklist at present? Well, it might be, if Kim Kardashian gets her way.

Following her release of the viral “nipple bra” a few years ago, the reality-TV star turned business mogul has brought out yet another Internet-breaking item through her $4 billion intimates company, Skims. This time, it’s a “merkin.” Read the whole article here.

September 19, 2025September 19, 2025

Consumerism Posing as a Solution

An anti-road rage solution? Or another variation of angry birds? Promoting a concept that exploits road rage but probably adds to the problem.

“Car company creates hilarious tool to channel drivers’ anger — and avoid dangerous road rage incidents,” by Brooke Steinberg, New York Post, August 21, 2025.

A car company in China has a cartoonish approach to curing road rage.

XPeng has unveiled a quirky new feature designed to subdue angry drivers — though it may also prove to be a distraction.

Suppose you’ve ever thrown a digital banana peel at an opponent in Mario Kart. In that case, you might know the satisfaction that throwing something like a digital shoe or an angry face would illicit.

Read the whole article here.

August 20, 2025

A Bunch of Swinging Dicks

Peckerheads for Cryptocurrency…

“Group Takes Credit For Throwing Sex Toys At WNBA Games And Reveals Its Motives,” by Pocharapon Neammanee, Huffpost, August 8, 2025.

The stunt somehow seems even stupider now, and to make matters worse, Donald Trump Jr. chimed in.

Cryptocurrency creators are now taking credit for throwing sex toys onto the court at multiple WNBA games, saying they intended to stir up controversy and promote their memecoin.

The self-confessed dildo-throwers say they launched the memecoin Green Dildo Coin on the Ethereum blockchain on July 28, a day before the first dildo-tossing incident. After Barstool Sports reported on the group’s identity on Wednesday, the price of the coin skyrocketed.

Read the whole article here.

August 8, 2025

When They Say Prices Are Slashed, They Mean It!

Killer Fitness: A store/exercise studio combo where disgruntled customers never dare complain. (h/t Alex Case)

“Working out in public can be scary! Killer Fitness embraces the horror with ‘Slashercise’,” by Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2025.

Killer Fitness in Burbank offers horror-themed workouts like “Slashercise,” combining fitness with spooky props and aesthetics.

On a recent 90-degree morning, a dozen or so gals and a couple guys of varying ages and sizes, some wearing flamboyant retro leg warmers and spandex, stand outside of a hot pink and black Burbank storefront.

They’re all about to fight for their lives and test their endurance during an hour-long workout like no other. While they jump, kick and punch, menacing monsters and serial killers (Pinhead from “Hellraiser,” Freddy Krueger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street”) appear behind them, looped on a giant video screen.

Will they survive Slashercise?

Read the whole article here.